A Letter from caaa board president concerning COVID-19

​ "I walked around our new building here at 4 Paws Lane in June 2012 the day before we moved our animals in. I walked through the kennels and cat rooms and told myself this was the last time I would ever hear these spaces silent but for my footsteps. I honestly never thought I would be in a silent building again; it is a surreal thing."
​- Sunniva Buck, CAAA Executive Director

March 27th, 2020

Dear Cape Ann Animal Aid supporters,

I’m writing today to personally reach out to you to share Cape Ann Animal Aid’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our animal shelter has never experienced a public health crisis of this nature, and we have proactively taken steps to mitigate the risk. As a result, we need your help.

Last week, in light of the worsening situation regarding COVID-19, we made the difficult decision to halt any incoming transports of animals from partner rescue organizations. In the interest of the safety of our staff and volunteers, we decided that the best course of action was to close the shelter to the public, thus ending all adoptions for the duration of this crisis, and placing our dogs and cats into foster homes. We started with 77 animals in our building and, thanks to our extremely hard working employees paired with a strong network of volunteers and supporters, we were able to place the majority of these pets into foster homes.

Mufassa and Peep are two of over 70 animals in foster care during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Donate today to contribute to their care.

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While our greatest hope is that we will be able to return to normal shelter operations soon, the reality is that we are looking at an extended need for social distancing and, as a result, an extended period of fostering. The decisions outlined above also allow us to be positioned to accept, as able, pets "orphaned" for a time within our own community due to their owners having to undergo in-patient medical treatment as a result of COVID-19.

Cape Ann Animal Aid is in unchartered financial territory. Today, I ask you, our most committed donors, to please consider supporting Cape Ann Animal Aid’s continued efforts to provide food, shelter, and medicine to homeless animals for the duration of this pandemic. You can make a donation online, or mail a check to us at 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930, or call us at (978) 283-6055 to make a donation by phone. (Please note that our staff hours are very limited so, if you call, please leave a message and we will get back to you.)

On behalf of Cape Ann Animal Aid’s board of directors, I hope that you and everyone in your family - including your pets - remain safe and healthy during this turbulent time.

Melanie Lovell
Board President
Cape Ann Animal Aid

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Keep up with us on our 4 Paws Blog and on social media to stay up to date on shelter operations during COVID-19, including stories from our foster families and how you can help shelter pets, and your own pets, during the crisis.